I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 242 The Sensible Bishop Hall

Connor was an elderly man with gray hair, a very straight back, a strong body, and an imposing presence, clearly the result of a long-standing position of authority.

He glanced at Richard and Nico on the lawn, but wasn't angry; he simply walked over calmly.

The butler followed behind him, head down, not daring to look at Nico.

Nico didn't have time to blame the butler; when he saw his father, he shrank back like a mouse before a cat.

Connor stopped in front of Richard and looked directly at him.

Richard watched him quietly, his mind unmoved.

Connor was somewhat surprised. Few young people could remain calm in front of him. This must be an outstanding scion of some great family.

Comparing her to her own cowardly son, she felt a surge of anger.

If Nico stubbornly sticks to his guns and refuses to back down, he might actually find some comfort in him.

Too weak, too incompetent!

They dare to cause trouble, but they dare not face the consequences.

How could someone like that possibly support a family?

Connor snapped out of his reverie and politely said to Richard, "Hello, sir, I apologize for the commotion."

Richard shrugged and said bluntly, "The estate is very nice."

Connor frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in his eyes: "I won't sell."

"Is that so?" Richard smiled faintly, glancing at the flames of desire burning above Connor's head—a flame of piety raging fiercely. He was a very devout old man.

Of all the people Richard had ever met, Connor was the third most devout!

First is Irving, second is Hale.

well.

Just be devout.

I absolutely adore devout believers!

Richard did not speak again.

Connor looked at Nico, suppressing his anger.

However, in front of outsiders, he still wanted to save face for his son, and asked in a low voice, "Who gave you permission to bring people here?"

Nico said cautiously, "Dad, the maintenance cost of this estate is nearly a million dollars a year. You're living here alone, and... well, these things will have to be dealt with sooner or later anyway. I've found a middleman, we can sell it, and we'll both get a lot of money. Isn't that good?"

Connor's lips tightened.

What do you mean, kid? Are you waiting for me to die?!

Connor could barely contain his anger: "Deal with it? This is Donovan family property! Your grandfather came from Italy with nothing; he built this land brick by brick. You're listing it on a real estate agency?! I'm not dead yet!! Nico!"

Nico was even more afraid when his father got angry, but remembering the gambling debts he owed at the casino, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and try again.

Trying to persuade his father, his fear and anxiety quickly transformed into an uncontrollable rage: "Father! You refused to sell when you were alive, and now you want to donate it to the church after you die. Did you ever think of me? Huh? I got nothing! I'm your son!"

"Foolish thing!" Connor's breathing became heavy as he stared intently at Nico.

He quickly regained his composure.

He actually knew about Nico's gambling debts and could guess Nico's purpose: selling the house was simply to pay off the debts.

Just like when he was a child, Nico always thought he didn't know what trouble Nico had gotten into outside and wanted to hide it.

In the end, I always had to clean up his messes myself!

Nico, you're over 40, why do you still act like a brat?

A wave of intense disappointment washed over me.

Connor stopped looking at him and turned to look at Richard.

Family scandals should not be aired in public.

We'll deal with Nico when no one's around.

Zhang Bo stood a few steps away, his face showing an awkwardness that made him unsure where to look, as well as a deep sense of despair.

He had thought this was a deal that would earn him hundreds of thousands in commission and propel him to the pinnacle of his life, but now the homeowner and his son were arguing right in front of him.

If he messes this up, Richard, this important person, might never speak to him again.

Zhang Bo felt his career prospects were bleak, and his future was being torn in two by the conflict between the father and son.

And he had absolutely no way to do anything about it.

Seeing the argument, Debbie got out of the car and went over: "Richard, what do we do next?"

Richard smiled and said, "No rush."

"You..." Connor glanced at Debbie and froze.

He has presbyopia and nearsightedness, so he can't see Debbie clearly in the distance, but he recognizes that she is a girl.

She only recognized Debbie when she walked in.

Connor exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness Saint Debbie?"

Her Highness the Holy Maiden has actually come to my manor!

Connor felt honored to have been invited to this humble abode.

Debbie tilted her head and looked at Connor, feeling that his tone was familiar, like that of a fanatical believer.

Having been through a lot, she understood how to handle things now. She made the sign of the cross, adopting the demeanor of a virtuous saint: "May God bless you, my brother. Mr. Donovan, I am Debbie Dixon. I came to visit your estate today, but I never expected this to happen."

A glint flashed in Richard's eyes.

Desire-driven manipulation!

In an instant, he amplified Connor's devotion to its highest level, making him as passionate as Irving, whose faith burned like a flame.

Connor's breathing quickened. In the final stage of his life, the saint had come to his home. Was this a revelation from God?

Debbie held out her finger, and Connor excitedly kissed her hand, feeling as if his life had come full circle.

Connor bowed deeply, his face flushed, and said, "Your Highness, please come in. Please sit in the living room; I'll have some coffee prepared. What would you like to drink? Coffee, tea, or water? Or I could have some snacks prepared. Would you like to rest for a while? The estate is quite large; if you're interested, I can personally show you around. The main building, the stables, the valley—you can go wherever you like..."

Nico stared blankly at his father.

Holy crap?

That's way too obsequious!

He had never seen his father so attentive since he could remember.

Zhang Bo was also stunned.

Things changed so quickly that he was caught off guard.

The two entered the main building, and the butler instructed the servants to bring coffee and even gave Richard a cup of tea, showing great care.

After exchanging pleasantries and expressing their admiration, the two sides got down to business.

The butler took an old document out of the safe; it was a copy of Connor's will, which he had drawn up in front of a lawyer a few years ago.

The content is simple: after his death, the entire estate was donated to the Trenton Parish.

Nico's face was grim.

You've even made a will?!

And me?

Have you even considered my feelings?!

Connor said apologetically to Debbie, "I have long since decided to donate this estate to the church..."

'

Debbie looked at Richard, bewildered, a gesture that made Connor frown slightly.

The saintess actually obeyed the orders of a man of Asian descent?

Richard began, "I have a good suggestion. Debbie wants to build a magnificent church that can accommodate 2000 worshippers to express her reverence for God, but the selfish Archbishop of New York, Sawyer, refused. If you can get the Archbishop of Trenton's approval to allow Debbie to build the church, in return, after purchasing the estate, I will specifically allocate 40 acres of land for its construction, dedicating both the land and the church to the church. The church will be named..."

'

Richard paused for a moment, looked at Connor, and said with a half-smile, "Let's call it St. Connor's Cathedral!"

Connor looked up in surprise.

He was tempted!

He was really tempted!

After my death, I want my name to be remembered for generations to come along with this cathedral!

Connor's breathing quickened; this was an agreement he couldn't refuse, one that completely hit his sweet spot.

He asked in a hoarse voice, "Really?"

Which wealthy Catholic wouldn't want to build a church named after themselves? But their status within the Catholic Church is insufficient to obtain the Vatican's approval, making it impossible for them to build one.

But Saint-Debbie was different; she was a saint, and there was a real hope that the church could be built!

Debbie realized what was happening and immediately said, "Of course! I just had a fight with Sawyer this morning. I want to build a cutting-edge, fun..."

"Mr. Donovan!" Richard quickly interrupted Debbie, who knew if her church idea would backfire.

Perhaps old Mr. Connor would explode on the spot if he heard Debbie's cyberpunk version of the church? So, it's best to keep Debbie quiet.

Richard immediately made a request: "Building this church will cost tens of millions of dollars. In addition, about 40 acres of land from River Valley Estate will be allocated. I hope that the price of River Valley Estate can be reduced."

Connor pondered for a moment.

Debbie complained to Richard in a low voice, "40 acres? I think that's too small. The Immaculate Conception National Basilica, the largest church in America, is over 300 acres. I think we should be bigger than that!"

After making her prediction, Debbie clearly did some research. At the very least, the figure of over 300 acres was probably given by some idea genius, and Debbie herself couldn't possibly have known it.

Richard was speechless: "The Immaculate Conception National Basilica can accommodate 6000 people. You only need to build a church for 2000 people. There is no need to make it so big. Moreover, most of the 300 acres should include the area of ​​woodlands, gardens, and auxiliary school buildings, not just the main church building."

Debbie said enthusiastically, "Then let's build a super cathedral that can hold 10000 people! Didn't Sawyer forbid me from building one? I'll build the biggest cathedral in North America, make him so jealous, and he won't be able to come to Mass!"

Ten thousand people... Richard chuckled, not taking it seriously.

Debbie is often outspoken, which is normal for a cheerleader who is more fierce than intelligent.

But Connor took it seriously, exclaiming excitedly, "10000 people! What a brilliant suggestion! That's the only way to show our boundless worship of God!"

"This is too much..." Richard wanted to refuse, but was surprised to find that the pious fire above Connor's head had changed!

It burned fiercely, like a huge torch, almost entirely condensed into light!

It almost achieved a qualitative leap, only slightly less than when Irving split into "The Leaping Soul".

If one were even more devout, could one break through the limits and split the [leaping soul]?

Could building religious wonders really have this effect?

Richard's attitude immediately changed, and he said with utmost sincerity, "This is absolutely wonderful! Her Highness has made a brilliant suggestion! How can America, as the most powerful country in the world, not have a super cathedral with more than 10,000 people! Build it! It must be built! If we're going to build one, let's build the biggest one ever!"

Richard was extremely resolute. Debbie had thought she would be discouraged by Richard, but instead, she was praised by him. She immediately smiled so broadly that her eyes curved into crescent moons and she couldn't stop smiling. She looked very smug.

Zhang Bo looked at Richard blankly.

No, Richard, didn't you say you wanted to buy a manor?

How did it turn into building a church?

Although he immigrated, he attended high school at the University of Tokyo and only went to the United States for college, so he couldn't understand the enthusiastic religious atmosphere here at all.

Connor immediately replied, "If there isn't enough land to build a church for 10,000 people, I have an 850-acre orchard nearby that I can donate to help build this magnificent church!"

Nico's face darkened; he never expected that he would lose another piece of property.

Although the orchard itself wasn't worth much, 850 acres of land was still a considerable amount!

They were all originally mine, so why were they donated to the church?

Connor didn't care what his son was thinking; he was completely absorbed in his devout faith, filled with a fanaticism that would give his entire fortune to religion.

He proposed a mutually beneficial cooperation agreement: "Your Highness St. Debbie, if we can persuade Bishop Trenton to agree to our construction of the church, I will agree to sell the River Valley Estate to Your Highness St. Debbie for $2000 million. However, the proceeds will not go into my account but will be deposited into a church trust fund specifically for the construction of the church."

"Her Highness St. Debbie is responsible for calling on believers to raise funds."

"At the same time, I will also donate an 850-acre orchard, all of which will be used for the construction of St. Connor's Cathedral. The easement must clearly state that the cathedral cannot be demolished or its use changed."

Richard did some calculations.

He obtained permission to purchase the estate.

Debbie will be in charge of fundraising through facial recognition. The funds for the cyberpunk church with tens of thousands of people will be at least $5 million, which is a huge number!

Connor actually gave very little, donating only an orchard worth about $1200 million in exchange for a cathedral named after him.

He truly is a successful businessman.

"The problem now is, how do we persuade Bishop Hall?" Connor pondered, somewhat troubled.

The bishop of Trenton was named Alfred Hall.

Richard laughed, "Bishop Hall must be eager to see this. Whether Debbie is in New Jersey or New York doesn't matter to the Vatican, but for Hall and Sawyer, it's a world of difference."

'

Connor's eyes lit up immediately; he instantly understood the meaning behind Richard's words, and looked at Richard with admiration and envy.

"Your family must have a visionary leader who could have nurtured such an outstanding young person as you."

Hall grew angrier the more he thought about his good-for-nothing son, and glared at Nico again.

Startled, he shrank back and ran away without daring to linger.

There were many things that followed. Richard and Debbie stayed at the manor, while Zhang Bo left in a daze. To this day, he still doesn't know whether he closed the deal or not.

Nico left dejectedly, feeling incredibly bad about the money.

Connor invited Richard and Debbie to a lavish dinner party, and then discussed and finalized various details over a long period of time.

Thanks to advancements in modern technology, the actual construction time for this church will be at most three years, and could be even shorter if all goes smoothly. However, the most time-consuming aspects are not construction itself, but fundraising, approvals, and litigation, especially the latter: "The 850 acres of mature orchards present a problem due to land zoning policies. This land is currently agricultural, and to build a sanctuary on it, we must complete the zoning change hearings. Residents in the surrounding area, environmental groups, and the parish—each party can file lawsuits to obstruct the approval process..."

'

This is a characteristic of America, and Richard couldn't avoid it.

It wasn't until that evening, after the three had finished discussing the details, that Connor finally dialed the phone number of Bishop Alfred Hall of Trenton.

Without any pleasantries, he said, "Bishop Hall, Her Highness St. Debbie is at River Valley Estate. She wants to build a church here and needs your approval."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Hall's voice came through, his excitement undisguised: "Saint-Debbie? That saintess from New York?"

Connor smiled and said, "Yes, His Highness is right here with me!"

"I'm coming right now!" Hall didn't press for details and set off decisively.

About 40 minutes later, Hall's car sped into the River Valley Estate.

Hall, who was in his fifties, practically jumped out of the car. He had come in such a hurry that he hadn’t even had time to put on a full suit, only wearing a dark coat with the white collar showing.

When Hall saw Debbie, his pace quickened noticeably, and his expression became very excited.

He stopped in front of Debbie, made the sign of the cross, and then extended his hand, his tone calm and formal: "Your Highness, welcome to the Trenton Diocese!"

Debbie took his hand.

After the two separated, Hall glanced at Connor, then turned to Debbie, saying with a slightly exaggerated tone, "When I came here, I watched your live stream yesterday. Archbishop Sawyer rejected your suggestion to build a church, which is simply unbelievable! No shepherd of the Lord would do such a thing! The more churches, the more faith! If you are willing to build a church in the Trenton diocese, I wholeheartedly support it!"

Hall certainly saw Debbie's outrageous ideas about building her own church, but... it didn't matter!

Let's bring the saintess over first!

Hall's parish is so close to New York, he's long been eyeing Saint Debbie.

Having a resident saint in the parish is of immense significance!

Unfortunately, the saintess was born in New York and was promoted by Sawyer, so he didn't have much opportunity to poach her.

Moreover, New York is one of the world's top metropolises, while New Jersey is a poor, remote place.

Debbie is a former cheerleader, so she definitely wouldn't be interested in New Jersey.

Therefore, Hall could only watch helplessly as Sawyer gloated at the National Catholic Conference.

Unexpectedly!

I really didn't expect that!

Sawyer actually drove Debbie away!

It's just building a church, what's so special about that?

Sawyer has been in New York for too long and has no idea about the strategic value of the Saintess!

What would happen if Debbie came to New Jersey?

Pilgrims flocked from all over the United States to see Debbie and attend her Masses, causing a surge in the number of believers in New Jersey.

The faithful would take her words more seriously than the sermons of ordinary parish priests. A single sentence from Debbie could influence the opinions, donations, and votes of a large number of believers, and even Hall could gain powerful political influence through it.

If a new church is built, the continuous influx of pilgrims who stay there, eat there, buy religious souvenirs, and donate will boost commerce in the entire area, and the local town will benefit.

The benefits Hall could gain were unimaginable.

With such enormous profits at stake, what does a heretical church matter!

Foolish Sawyer!

Hall released his grip, looked at Richard, then at Connor, and finally returned his gaze, reiterating, "I fully support Her Highness's demands regarding the construction of the church. As long as the church is explicitly placed under the jurisdiction of the Trenton Diocese, I can accept any of her requests, such as naming rights. If there are no problems, I can sign now!"

Debbie was overjoyed and excitedly grasped Hall's hand: "You're such a good bishop! Much better than that Sawyer!"

"Thank you for the praise, Saintess!" Hall smiled, every wrinkle on his face opening up.

Richard smiled faintly.

Everyone has their own match, and the Archbishop of New York is no exception.

With Hall's support, the internal pressure within the Catholic Church can be greatly reduced.

All attacks from Sawyer and the New York diocese will be countered by Hall and the Archbishop of New Jersey.

At the same time, Debbie can use Sawyer to suppress Hall in turn, preventing Hall from becoming too powerful over time.

Only when the bishops check and balance each other can Her Highness the lovely Lady Richard reap enormous benefits.

Richard looked at Connor expectantly, wondering if he could get the [Leaping Soul] once the religious wonder of St. Hall Cathedral was built.

We'll invite Irving and Hale to come and watch the ceremony together.

There might be a huge reward.

Alex glanced back and, finding no one following him, immediately slipped into the supermarket restroom and ran into the innermost stall.

He leaned against the door, his legs curled up on the toilet seat, listening intently to the sounds outside, his heart pounding.

No one chased after them for several minutes.

However, he knew it was only a matter of time; he figured he could no longer leave this place.

Just now, he arrived in Plattsburgh and found that there were an unusually large number of ICE cars on the streets, which was a bit beyond reasonable limits.

(Alex didn't completely trust the stranger's phone call, so instead of taking the bus, he rented a car and drove himself to Buffalo.)

Alex was alert and immediately tried to leave, only to find that the road behind him was also blocked by ICE vehicles.

He knew that they were most likely there to arrest him, so he immediately parked his car in the Burger King parking lot on the side of the road and blended in with dozens of other cars, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed for a while.

He quickly crossed the road and went into the Walmart supermarket. Fortunately, there were many people in the supermarket, so it was relatively safe for the time being.

After listening for a while and seeing that no one was following, Alex nervously left the cubicle and peeked outside.

Then he was horrified to see a group of ICE officers inspecting his car in the Burger King parking lot!

"It's over, it's over!"

When Alex saw this, his hair stood on end, and he no longer harbored any illusions.

What should I do?

Alex's mind was buzzing, completely blank.

Who can save me?

He went through everyone he knew in his mind, and finally settled on Richard's calm face.

Richard knows Congressman Brian, his mentor is Nobel laureate Christina, his girlfriend is Saint Debbie, and Debbie's mother, Catherine, is a billionaire. Richard is the most important person Alex knows.

Alex immediately picked up his phone, restarted it, and called Richard: "Richard, ICE is after me. I'm cornered in the supermarket restroom, and they could come in at any moment. Can you find me a lawyer? If I get arrested, please bail me out as soon as possible?"

Richard paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure: "Which supermarket in New York are you at?"

Alex hesitated for a second before saying, "I'm not in New York. I'm at Walmart in Plattsburgh. I was planning to escape to Montreal, but now I can't leave."

o

Plattsburgh? This small city is only 10 miles from the US-Canada border. Richard knew Alex was serious; he really had fled.

Richard didn't ask for details or the reasons; there was no time for that now.

Alex was captured by the ICE, and no one knows what his fate will be.

If ICE were truly acting with immense hostility in arresting Alex, Ale might not even have survived until his lawyer arrived. Perhaps ICE...

He might not admit to arresting Alex so that he can disappear completely.

Richard immediately said, "Try to hide as much as possible, and whatever you do, don't get caught. If you are caught, don't resist arrest. Keep your phone on for now, I'll get back to you right away."

thump.

The phone was disconnected.

Alex was stunned for a moment, not knowing what Richard meant.

In reality, he didn't have any other options. He could only pray that ICE would be stupid enough to waste more time at Burger King and not come over.

Alex felt as if time was stretching out, every second was torture, and he didn't know if he would see the sun rise tomorrow.

Richard dialed Brian's number directly: "It's urgent. I have a friend named Alex, a student at the University of Tokyo, who's currently being held by ICE in a Walmart in Plattsburgh. He'll probably be arrested soon. Can you get him out and sent to Montreal?"

Brian didn't ask why: "OK, I'll give it a try. Plattsburgh is too far away, the chances are slim."

Frank, the former sheriff and now police inspector, was on a business trip in Plattsburgh when he suddenly received a call from Chief Isabella. "OK, I'll take care of it." After the call, he quickly turned his car around and headed to Walmart.

A dozen minutes later, he arrived at the supermarket entrance.

There were already seven or eight ICE vehicles parked in the parking lot.

"What on earth did this kid from East East get into? Why did ICE make such a big fuss?" Frank parked his car in the parking lot, ignored ICE like an ordinary person, and walked into the supermarket.

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